The Fray Sisters (Book 1)

Forsaken

I activated my seraph blade by saying "Sanvi." Jace said, "Is it dead?" Clary pulled him out from under it and I stabbed it, killing it as he drew something out of his belt and said "This is a stele. And this is what happens when a shadowhunter is wounded." he finished a symbol which then sank into his skin leaving an almost invisible scar.

I grabbed his arm to look at it I said "Mom had these." Jace said "The runes?" I said, "No the scars, all over her arms and back." Clary said "I think your delusional, I don't remember mom having scars." he let me hold his arm and look as he said, "That was an iratze... a healing rune, finishing the rune with the stele activates it." I stepped back so he could shrug his jacket back on and he said "We're going to have to report this to Hodge, He'll freak out." I said "Why will he freak out?" as Clary said "I get that that thing isn't a demon... that's why the sensor didn't register it, right?" he nodded "You see the scars all over its face? Those were made with a stele. Like this one. You asked me what happens when you carve marks onto someone who doesn't have shadowhunter blood. Just one mark will only burn you, but a lot of marks, powerful ones? Carved into the flesh of a totally ordinary human being with no trace of shadowhunter ancestry? You get this. The runes are agonizingly painful. The marked ones go insane... the pain drives them out of their minds. They become fierce, mindless killers. They don't sleep or eat unless you make them, and they die, usually quickly. Runes have great power and can be used to do great good... but they can be used for evil. The forsaken are evil."

Clary said "But why would anyone do that to themselves?" he said "Nobody would. It's something that gets done to them. By a warlock, maybe, some Downworlder gone bad. The forsaken are loyal to the one who Marked them, and they're fierce killers. They can obey simple commands, too. It's like having a slave army. Im going back upstairs." I said "But there's nothing there." he said "There might be more of them. You both should wait here." he started up the steps and then we heard Madam Dorothea's shrill voice behind us "I wouldn't do that if I were you, there are more of them where the first one came from." Clary and I spun around and spoke in unison "Madame Dorothea?" Jace said, "But..." Clary said "More what?" Madame Dorothea said 
More forsaken, you have made a mess, haven't you? Im sure you weren't planning on cleaning it up either. Typical." Jace said, "But you're a mundane." 

Madame Dorothea said "So observant, the Clave really broke the mold with you." now he was pissed "You know about the Clave? You knew about them and you knew there were forsaken in this house and you didn't notify them? Just the existence of forsake is a crime against the Covenant..." she cut him off "Neither Clave nor Covenant have ever done anything for me, I owe them nothing." now she was pissed and I don't recall ever seeing her pissed. I said, "Jace, stop it." Clary continued after me "If you know about the Clave and the forsaken, then maybe you know what happened to our mother?" She held my hand as I was closest to her and said "My advice to you girls, is to forget about your mother. She's gone." I said, "You mean she's dead?" Dorothea said "No. Im sure she's still alive. For now." I guess we almost fell or something because Dorothea tightened her hold on my hand and Jace grabbed us both as if he were stabilizing us. 

Clary said "Then we have to find her, you understand? We have to find her before..." Dorothea let go of me holding her hand up to stop Clary and said "I don't want to involve myself in Shadowhunter business." I said "But you knew our mother. She was your neighbor..." Jace cut me off "This is an official Clave investigation. I can always come back with the Silent Brothers." she said "Oh, for the... I suppose you might as well come in, I'll tell you what I can. But if you tell anyone I helped you, Shadowhunter, you'll wake up tomorrow with snakes for hair and an extra pair of arms." Jace said "That might be nice, an extra pair of arms, handy in a fight." she said, "Not if they're growing out of your... neck." Jace said "Yikes." she said, "Yikes is right, Jace Wayland." Clary said "Wayland?" he looked shaken "It's my name. I can't say I like that she knows it." I followed her into her apartment and saw that it was the same layout as ours. She saw Clary's gaze and said "Interested in chiromancy? Or just nosy, like your sister." I said "I am not nosy." she said "Oh your not Catia? Are you sure? Then why did you break in here 10 different times?" I slowly hid behind Jace as Clary glared at me. 

I conceded "Ok fine, I'm nosy." Clary said "Neither, Can you really tell fortunes?" she said "My mother had a great talent. She could see a man's future in his hand or the leaves at the bottom of his teacup. She taught me some of her tricks. Speaking of tea, young man, would you like some?" he said "What?" she said "Tea. I find it both settles the stomach and concentrates the mind. Wonderful drink, tea. Clary said "Tia and I'll have tea," Jace agreed "All right. As long as it isn't Earl Grey, I hate bergamot." she laughed as she disappeared behind the bead curtain. I said, "You hate bergamot?" Jace said, "You have a problem with that?" Clary said "You may be the only guy our age we've ever met who knows what bergamot is, much less that it's in Earl Grey tea." he said "Yes, well, I'm not like other guys. Besides, at the Institute we have to take classes in basic medicinal uses for plants. It's required." Clary said, "I figured all your classes were stuff like Slaughter 101 and Beheading for Beginners." I said, "Id sign up for those." Jace said, "Very funny, Fray." 

Clary said "Don't call us that." he seemed surprised and honestly I was confused too, he said "Why not? It's your last name, isn't it?" she said "No reason." Jace said, "I see, This must be the trash she keeps upfront to impress credible mundane, There's not one serious text here." Clary said "Just because it's not the kind of magic you do..." he scowled making me groan he said "I do not do magic, Get it through your head: Human beings are not magic users. It's part of what makes them human. Witches and warlocks can only use magic because they have demon blood." Clary said "But I've seen you use magic. You use enchanted weapons..." he said "I use magical tools. And just to be able to do that, I have to undergo rigorous training. The rune tattoos on my skin protect me too. If you tried to use one of the seraph blades, for instance, it'd probably burn your skin, maybe kill you." she said "It didn't hurt Tia. But, what if I got the tattoos? Could I use them then?" Jace said "Hodge already gave her, her first mark and a few training lessons. The Marks are only part of it. There are tests, ordeals, levels of training... look, just forget it, okay? Stay away from my blades. Don't touch any of my weapons without my permission." 

Clary muttered "Well, there goes my plan for selling them all on eBay," he said "Selling them on what?" She smiled "A mythical place of great magical power." he looked confused then shrugged "Most myths are true, at least in part." I said "Hey why don't we try not arguing or I'm gonna call Alec to come and get me." and I went through the curtain as Dorothea peeked her head out and said "Tea's on the table. There's no need for you two to keep standing there like donkeys. Come into the parlor." Clary said "There's a parlor?" she said, "Of course, there's a parlor, Where else would I entertain?" Jace said "I'll just leave my hat with the footman," she shot him a dark look "If you were half as funny as you thought you were, my boy, you'd be twice as funny as you are." I giggled as they came in and joined us.